I changed my 1957 Chevy long bed into a NAPCO 4wd. Off the top of my head: some things to consider:
- 1/2 ton NAPCO drive trains are much easier than 3/4 ton to find
- Get the best drive train you can afford, hopefully it will only
requiring bolting in. I bought a lower cost set and had to
rebuild both axles, hubs and transfer case. The upside is that
I learned a lot.
- Get both front and rear axles, the need to be the same ratio. I
changed mine to 3.38 for highway cruising
- Depending on the year, some parts like brake pads and wheel
cylinders seem hard to find and you may need to get a machine
shop to rebuild them (I did)
- Make sure all the pieces are they, e.g., shift lever, lift
blocks, and linkages.
- If your truck is a long bed and the NAPCO drive train is from
a short bed, you will need to locate or get a longer rear
driveshaft made.
Overall, if the drive train is in good shape, it isn't a difficult install. It took my son and I two days, but we took our time. If you like 4WD trucks, the end result in my opinion is really great looking.
